Food retailer Grand Frais has announced the acquisition of 32 Gifi stores to expand its network across France. The first conversions to Grand Frais outlets are expected from June 2026. Around 300 employees are affected by this operation.
Grand Frais, a fresh produce specialist founded in 1997, is bolstering its territorial presence by acquiring 32 Gifi stores, known for low-price variety goods. The announcement of this external growth operation was made last October. The affected sites are mainly in western, southwestern, and southeastern France, as well as Normandy, Île-de-France, Grand Est, and Hauts-de-France regions.
Cities involved include Lisieux and Caen in Calvados, Floirac and Saint-Médard-en-Jalles in Gironde, Fontaine and Le Pont-de-Beauvoisin in Isère. Others are Provins in Seine-et-Marne, Cergy in Val-d'Oise, Vitry-sur-Seine in Val-de-Marne, plus Moncel-lès-Lunéville in Meurthe-et-Moselle, Cernay and Dorlisheim in Alsace, Sainte-Marguerite in Vosges, and Saint-Parres-aux-Tertres in Aube. In the west, stores in Pacé in Ille-et-Vilaine, Séné in Morbihan, La Ville-aux-Dames in Indre-et-Loire, Saintes and Champniers in Charente, Royan in Charente-Maritime are listed. The southwest includes Pau, Hendaye, and Bayonne in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Plaisance-du-Touch in Haute-Garonne, Bias in Lot-et-Garonne. In the south and southeast: Grasse in Alpes-Maritimes, Les Angles in Pyrénées-Orientales, Saint-Aunès in Hérault, Saint-Chamond in Loire, Saint-Priest and L'Arbresle in Rhône.
The stores will first close for renovations before reopening as Grand Frais from June 2026. About 300 employees currently work there; their futures will be clarified early in 2026. Grand Frais commits to preserving jobs by offering positions with seniority retention. "This external growth operation with multiple stores is a first for us," said Jean-Paul Mochet, president of Grand Frais Gestion, to AFP in October. He added they are not "in a race for square meters."
With 335 outlets in France and around 20 annual openings, Grand Frais estimates its turnover at 4.5 to 5 billion euros.